Laundry flatwork feeder truck



March 24, 1953 R. M. SCHULTZ I LAUNDRY FLATWORK FEEDER TRUCK 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 50, 1948 W WQWMWLQ IN VEN TOR. AOY M Sci/a4.7'3

LAUNDRY FLATWORK FEEDER TRUCK INVENTOR.

for M Seal/41g March 24, 1953 R. M. SCHULTZ LAUNDRY FLATWORK FEEDERTRUCK 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 30, 1948 IN V EN TOR. IFOY MSCI/04712 March 24, 1953 R. M. SCHULTZ LAUNDRY FLATWORK FEEDER TRUCK 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 50, 1948 INVENTOR. for/Vt 50/0472 PatentedMar. 24, 1953 LAUNDRY IFLATWORK FEEDER TRUCK Roy Schultz, Chicago, Ill.,assignor to David A. Freeman Corporation, Chicago, 111., acorp'orationof Illinois Application September 30, 19.48, Serial'No. 52,092

17 Claims.

1 This invention relates "to a laundry feeder truck "used for handlingdamp clothes and the like in commercial laundries, having a container ofvariable volume, as disclosed in the c-pending application of JamesMulvihill, Serial No. 52;,081, filed September 30, 1948, and, "moreparticularly, to improvements in the controls for varying the volume ofsaid container.

.Because of the weight and volume of damp clothes carried "by suchtrucks, it frequently becomes difficult for the operator to manuallyraise the floor of the container so that the clothes may be-fed onto theadjacent dryer or pressing machine. Also the operator while removing thedamp clothes from the truck must often stopand manually raise the bottomof the container to the desired height. These stoppages are timeconsuming and a nuisance to the operator particularly when he isoperating the truck alone.

Thus, it is one of the objectsof this invention to provide controlswhereby the operator may readily vary the height of the container floorwith a minimum of effort.

It is a further object :of this invention to provide controls forvarying the volume of the :conta iner which are readily accessible tothe operator from either side as well as the ends of the truck.

It is. a further object of this invention to provide controls which willenable the" operator to raise "the bottom of the containersimultaneouslywhile removing the damp clothes therefrom.

It. is :still. a further object of this invention to provide controlswhich will expedite the handling of the clothes by the feeder truck:during the cleaning operation and thereby reduce thezcostof such anoperation.

It is still a further object of this invention toprovi-de controls foroperating the feeder truck which are simple, yet sturdy in constructionand effective in operation.

Further and additional objects will appear from th description,accompanying drawings, andappended-claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a feeder truck isprovided comprising a movable frame having a pair of rotatab-ly mounted,elongated reels disposed at either side ofsaid. frame; a flexiblecontainer having the sides thereof windably mounted on said reels; andmeans for actuating and controlling the rotation of said reels. Theactuating and controlling means .are regulated by the operator of thetruck so that the bottom of the flexible container may be raised as the.damp clothes are removed from the truck and fed onto the presslit ing ordrying machine, thus eliminating the need for the operator to bend overand lift out the clothes from the bottom of the container.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference shouldnow be had to the drawings wherein- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sideelevational view of a hydraulically controlled feeder truck with thebottom of the container in its lowered position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the feeder truck shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the feeder truck shown in Fig. 1 with theposition of the hydraulic control system for raising the bottom of thecontainer shown in dotted lines and a portion of the frame cut away toshow the construction of the bottom of said container.

'Fig. 4 is an end view of a pneumatically controlled feeder truck shownwith the bottom of the container in its raised position and a 'portionof the frame cut away to show the construction of said bottom.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the pump and thepiston-cylinder assembly for the hydraulically controlled feeder truckshown in Fig.3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the control valve for the-pneumatically controlled feeder truck shown in Fig. 4 with a portion ofthe intake and exhaust ports shown in crosssection.

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic view of an airhydrau'lic control system for afeeder truck with the flow of the hydraulic fluid for raising the bottomof the container shown in full arrows and the flow of the hydraulicfluid for lowering said bottom shown in-dotted arrows.

Fig. '8 is a side elevational sectional view of the air-hydraulic pumpunit for the control system shown in Fig. '7.

Fig. '9 is a side elevational sectional view of the bleeder valve forthe cont-r01 system shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 1c is a diagrammatic view of a modified form of an air-hydrauliccontrol system showing the flow of the hydraulic fluid in full arrowsfor one setting of the reversing valve, wherein the bottom of thecontainer is lowered, and the flow of the hydraulic fluid in dottedarrows for another setting of the reversing valve, wherein said bottomis raised- Referring now to the drawings, a feeder truck 20 is providedadapted to handle wet clothes upon their removal from a washing machineprior to being fed into a drying or pressing machine. The truck 25, inthis instance, comprises a movable frame 22, a flexible container 24mounted on said frame, and an actuating and control unit 25 forregulating the movement of the bottom or floor 27 of said container 24.

The frame 22 comprises a rectangular shaped base 28 at the four cornersof the underside of which are rotatably mounted wheels or casters 29, 39and 32 (only three being shown). To the narrow sides of the base 28 arefastened vertically extending end plates 34 and 33 which act as twosides of the container 24 disposed intermediate said plates. Rotatablymounted on the upper edge of the end plates 34 and 36 are a pair ofelongated reels 38 and 49; one disposed at either side of said upperedge and extending from one plate to the other. The reels 38 and 40 areadapted to rotate in opposite directions. The means whereby the reelsare caused to rotate will be discussed in detail later. At either sideof the end plates 34 and 36 are provided bracing members 42 (only oneshown in Fig. 1) which extend from one plate to the other and hold saidplates in their spaced relationship.

The container 24 is flexible, constructed preferably of a durablefabric, plastic or rubberized material, and has its two sides 44 and 43windably mounted on reels 38 and 40, respectively. The end plates 34 and35, as heretofore mentioned, serve as the other two sides of thecontainer. The windable sides 44 and 45 of the container are held in asubstantially parallel vertical relationship by the spacer or floorboard 48, which is rectangular in shape and rests on the bottom 21 ofthe container. The length of the spacer board is substantially the sameas the space between the end plates 34 and 38. The vertical movement ofthe spacer board 48 is dependent upon the rotation of the reels 38 and49 which, in turn, are controlled by the operator.

Hydraulic, pneumatic, or air-hydraulic means may be employed foractuating and controlling the rotation of the reels.

In the hydraulically or pneumatically controlled truck, pulleys 50 and52 are fastened to the corresponding ends of the reels 33 and 49 andextend outwardly from the plate 34 as seen in Figs. 1-4. Intermediatesaid reel pulleys 5i! and. 52 and mounted on the lower portion of plate34 is a piston-cylinder assembly 54. The piston 56 has its rod 58extending upwardly from said assembly. Rotatably mounted on the free orexposed end of the rod are pulleys 50 and 52 which are disposed in aside-by-side relationship. The piston 53, rod 58, and pulleys 59 and 62are adapted to move in a vertical plane.

Rotatably mounted by brackets 53 and on end plate 34 and disposed ateither side of assembly 54 are idling pulleys 64 and 55. The verticalmovement of pulleys 64 and 52 is transmitted by means of belts 69 and I9into a rotational movement of the reels 38 and 49, respectively. One endof belt 68 is wound around and secured to reel pulley 5i) and theremainder of the belt is passed under idling pulley 64 and over pulleyand has its free end secured at 12, to the end plate 34. Belt I0, in asimilar manner, cooperates with pulleys 52, 65, and 52 and is fastenedat I4 to the end plate 34. Bel-ts 63 and 79 are wound around reelpulleys 59 and 52 respectively in such a manner that the reels will rotate in opposite directions to one another.

, In the hydraulically operated system, a pump 88 is provided foractuating the vertical movement of the piston 53 of assembly 54. Thepump 88 is secured to the end plate 34 adjacent assembly 54 andcomprises a housing 99 (Fig. 5) which is substantially filled with ahydraulic fluid 32, a bleeder valve 94, and a pump piston 95, mounted toreciprocate in cylinder 98. Cooperating with the piston 99 are an intakecheck valve I90 which allows the fluid 92 to be sucked into the cylinder98, upon the upward stroke of the piston 96, and an outlet check valveI42 which allows the fluid to pass into the assembly 54 upon downwardmovement of the piston 96. Piston 96 is normally held in its upperposition by coil spring I94, The stem I09 of piston extends upwardlyfrom the housing 90 as seen in Fig. 5. Bleeder valve 94 is positionedadjacent the pump piston 95 and has the stem I08 thereof likewiseextending upwardly from the housing. The valve 94 is normally held in aclosed position by coiled spring II 0. The piston 96 and bleeder valve94 are actuated by a disc II2, rotatably mounted on end plate 34 abovethe pump 88. The disc I12 is provided with a pair of diametricallyopposed studs I14 and H5, which are secured to the face of thedisc andare adapted to independently contact the stems of the pumping piston 96or bleeder valve 94, respectively, depending on the rotation imparted tosaid disc.

The rotation of disc H2 is controlled by links H8 and I20 which arepivotally connected to said disc at points I22 and I24, respectively,which are diametrically opposed to one another and intermediate studs H4and H5, as seen in Fig. 5. Links I I8 and I29 are pivotally connected attheir other ends to arms I25 and I28, respectively, of bell crank leversI30 and I32, which are pivotally connected at opposite sides to the base28 of the frame. Extending longitudinally the length of the frame 22 anddisposed at either side thereof are foot treadles or rails I34 and I35which are pivotally mounted on said frame, and connected atcorresponding ends to arms I33 and I49 respectively of bell crank leversI30 and I32. From this linkage arrangement, it is apparent that therotation of the disc H2 is dependent upon the direction of force appliedto foot treadles I34 and I36; thus a downward treadling force exerted oneither treadle will cause the piston 56 of the assembly 54 to be raisedand the bottom 21 of the container 24 in turn to be raised, and upon anupward force exerted on the foot treadle the bottom of the containerwill be lowered.

In the pneumatically controlled truck shown in Fig. 4, the arrangementof the pulleys and belts, and the piston-cylinder assembly 54 is thesame as that above described for the hydraulically controlled truck. Thesource of pneumatic power is independent of the truck 20 and aconnecting nozzle I42 is provided at one side of the end plate 34 forready connection to said pneumatic power source (not shown). It isapparent that with this type of truck it is necessary that the pneumaticpower source be located in the vicinity of the presser or drying machineor any other place where the damp clothes are to be unloaded from thetruck. Intermediate the connecting nozzle I42 and the assembly 54 andmounted on the distributing tube I43 joining said nozzle and assembly isa rocker-arm control valve I44. As seen in Fig. 6, the control valve I44comprises an inlet or high pressure intake port I46, an outlet port I 48to assembly 54, and an exhaust port I59. Mounted within both the intakeand exhaust ports are check valves I52 and I54, respectively. Bothvalves I52 and I 54 are normally held in a closedposition by springs I56and I153 embracing the stems I6!) and I62 of said valves. The stems I69and I62 project upwardly from the ports-and have the upper ends I64 andI65 thereof exposed. Pivotally mounted on the control valve housing is arocker arm I68 which is adapted to independently contact the upper endsI64 and I 65 of stems I60 and I62, respectively, depending upon thepoint where force is applied to said arm. Thus the floor of thecontainer may be readily raised by depressing valve I52, or lowered bydepressing valve I54.

In Figs. '7 and 1.0, a modified arrangement for actuating andcontrolling the vertical .movement of the piston 55 in assembly 54 isshown. In this instance, an air-hydraulic pump I'IEI is employed forforcing the hydraulic fluid into the cylinder chamber of assembly 56. Asseen in Fig. 3, the pump I'ill comprises a cylinder housing I'IZ havingan air intake port I13 formed therein, a sleeve I'M slidab-ly mountedwithinsaid housing, a hollow piston I'Id adjustably mounted within saidsleeve, and a hydraulic inlet port I18 and outlet port I83, and an airoutlet port I82 formed in the head ass of said housing. Sleeve I'M isprovided with an elongated slot I36 formed in the periphery thereof andadjacent the air intake port I73 and having a transverse passage I87 atone end of said slot. Slot I86 and transverse passage It! permit the airto pass from port Ill-3 to port I88 formed in the head of piston I15 andthen to the underside of the piston to force the sleeve and pistonupwardly in the cylinder housing 512. The hollow piston I 76 isadjustably held within sleeve IN by means of a spring-pressed ball I98disposed in the piston head and which cooperates with notches I92 andI94. To enable the air to force the piston and sleeve upwardly,spring-pressed ball IBII engages notch I92 as seen in Fig. 8, thusenabling the port I 88 to register with passage I81. A spring I96 in thebase I98 of the cylinder housing IIZ overcomes the friction encountered'bythe piston and sleeve on starting their upward movement. The air fromthe intake port I13 continues to force the piston I15 and sleeve I'Mupwardly in the housing I12 until the sleeve contacts a coil spring 299,provided at the top of the cylinder housing, and is thus cushionedagainst further upward movement while the inertia of the piston and theair pressure applied to the underside of the piston forces said pistonto continue on its upward movement thereby causing the springpressedball I 9d to become disengaged from notch Hi2 and to slip into the uppernotch I94. After the ball I 9'0 is seated in notch Its, the piston I76isbuffed by spring Edi and is restrained from any further upwardmovement. Upon the shifting of ball I963 from notch I92 to I94, the airsupply from intake port I'IB through port I86, passage I61, and port I88is shut oii and port I88 registers with a Icy-pass slot 202, formed inthe inside of sleeve I16, which in turn registers with a bleeder port 2%formed in the upper portion of piston head I'IB. Thus the high pressureair at the underside of piston head I16 is bled through port Iiid, slot282, and bleeder port 284 and then out to atmospheric pressure throughexhaust port I82 formed in the head not of the housing. Gravity andsprings 285) and 2t]! then cause the piston and sleeve to drop down and,upon the sleeve contacting coil spring I96, its downward movement isretarded while the piston continues on its downward movement, therebycausing ball I96 to become unseated from notch I94 and to slip back intonotch I92. The piston and sleeve are, thensonce again in the correctrelative position for being forced upward by pneumatic-pressure.

Projecting downwardly a substantial distance from the head I64 of thehousing I12 and centrally disposed therein, is a hollow'shaft 205. Thelower end of shaft 286 is embraced by piston I76 and projects into acylindrically shaped cavity 2&8 in said piston. Thus upon upwardmovement of piston I'Iet, shaft 206 approaches the base 209 of cavity288. However, shaft 206 never reaches the bottom of the cavity as therelative position of the piston and sleeve is changed, resulting in saidpiston andsleeve commencing their downward movement again. The upper endof shaft 2.06 is fastened to the head I86 of the housing and opensintcthe passage 21c connecting the hydraulic intake I13 and outlet I89ports in said head.

Upon downward movement of piston I15 in housing I12, hydraulic fluid issucked in at port H28, past ball valve 2I2, through shaft 206, andinto-cavity 298. Upon upward movement of piston I'It, the hydraulicfluid in cavity 298 is forced through shaft 2%, past outlet ball valve 2I4, and out through outlet port 180. The joint between shaft 2-516 andpiston I I6 is sealed by packing Z-I B. A stop plug 218 is provided inhead I84 of the housing for replenishing the hydraulic fluid if needed.

As seen in Fig. 7, the source of air supply for air-hydraulic pump I'Illis controlled by a valve 220 mounted in the line 22I connected to intakeport I753 of pump housing I72. By operating valve 229, the operator mayraise the floor 21 of the container to the height desired so that thedamp clothes may be easily removed from the truck and fed into the dryeror presser without fatigue to the operator. The downward move ment ofpiston 56 in assembly 54 is controlled by a bleeder-cock valve 222.,which allows the hydraulic fluid to return to the reservoir 224 fromassembly 55 so as to cause the floor .21 of container 48 to be loweredand positioned again to receive damp clothes. The reservoir 224 ismounted directly on frame 22 adjacent the end plate 34 thereof. Valve 222, .as seen in Fig. 9, is conventional and comprises a housing 226having an inlet 228 and outlet 239 port formed therein, and a threadedstem 232 adjustable within said housing. The operator of the truck maycontrol the depth of the container by regulating the amount of oil bledfrom the chamber of the assembly '54 to the reservoir 224 through thebleeder valve.

Asseen in Fig. 10, a slightly modified arrangement employing the pump IIll is shown for-actuating the piston 56 in assembly 54. A reversingvalve 234 is provided intermediate the pump I10 and assembly 54 having arotor member 236 and stator member 233. Stator member 238 is providedwith four symmetrically arranged ports A, B, C, and D, and the rotormember 235 is provided with a pair of substantially U-shaped passages2st and 2-42. Upon the setting of rotor 236, shown in full lines.passage 252 joins ports A and D of stator member 238 and passage 2 40joins ports 13 and C; with this settin the piston 56 of assembly '54 isforced downwardly and the floor 21 of theicontainer 2d is lowered. Upona quarter turn of the rotor 2.35 from that shown in solid lines, bymeans of a handle 2% mounted thereon, passage Mt joins ports A and B andpassage .242 joins port's C and D and the piston 56' of assembly 54 isforced upward and the floor 2.! of the container is raised. With thisarrangement no reservoir for the hydraulic fluid. is required.

Thus, it will be seen that controls for varying the volume of thecontainer of the feeder truck have been provided which will greatlyfacilitate the handling of damp clothes regardless of their dampnessduring the cleaning operation so as to increase the efficiency andreduce the cost of such an operation.

While several embodiments of this invention are shown above, it will beunderstood of course that the invention is not to be limited thereto,since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated, therefore,by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications as fall withinthe true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described having a supporting frame, a pairof substantially parallel reels rotatably mounted on said frame, acontainer of pliable material having its sides windable on said reels,and means mounted on said frame for controlling the rotation of saidreels; said means comprising pulleys mounted on corresponding ends ofsaid reels, a piston-cylinder assembly to actuate said pulleys, thepiston of said assembly having a rod, the free end of which extends fromsaid assembly, a second set of pulleys arranged in a side by siderelationship and mounted on the free end of said piston rod, idlingpulleys disposed on opposite sides of said assembly, and a pair offlexible members cooperating with all of said pulleys and adapted tocause the sides of said container to be Wound on or unwound from saidreels upon movement of said piston.

2. In a device of the class described having a portable frame, a pair ofsubstantially parallel elongated reels rotatably mounted on said frame,a container of variable volume suspended from said reels, and meansmounted on said frame for controlling the volume variations of saidcontainer; said means comprising pulleys mounted on corresponding endsof said reels, a pistoncylinder assembly intermediate said pulleys, thepiston of said assembly having a rod the free end of which extends fromsaid assembly, a second set of pulleys arranged in a side by siderelationship and mounted to move with said piston rod, idling pulleysdisposed on opposite sides of said assembly, and flexible memberscooperating with all of said pulleys, one of said flexible membershaving one end wound around one of said reel pulleys and passing underone of the idling pulleys and over one of said pulleys movable with saidpiston and having the other end fastened to said frame, the otherflexible member similarly co-operating with the other pulleys, saidflexible members adapted to cause said reel pulleys to rotate inopposite directions upon movement of said piston.

3. The device claimed in claim 1 in which said control means comprises ahydraulic pump unit mounted on said frame and adjacent said assembly,having the stems of the pump piston and the release valve for said pumpunit extending upwardly therefrom and adjacent to one another, a discrotatably mounted on said frame and adapted to independently contactsaid stems, a treadle pivotally mounted on said frame and extendingsubstantially the length thereof, and a link member fastened at one endto said disc and fastened at the other end to said treadle; thedirection of rotation of said disc being dependent upon the direction offorce applied to said treadle.

4. The device claimed in claim 1 in which said control means comprises ahydraulic pump unit mounted on said frame and adjacent said assembly andhaving the operating controls for said unit projecting upwardlytherefrom, a control disc rotatably mounted on said frame and having apair of transversely mounted studs, diametrically opposed, projectingtherefrom and adapted to contact said operating controls, an actuatingmember pivotally mounted on each side of said frame and extendingsubstantially the length thereof, and link connections between saidactuating members and points on said disc diametrically opposed to eachother.

5. The device claimed in claim 1 in which said control means comprises asource of pneumatic power adapted to be connected to said frame, tubingmounted on one end of said frame for distributing said pneumatic powerto said pistoncylinder assembly, and a control element mounted on saidtubing intermediate said source and assembly for regulating movement ofsaid piston in said assembly.

6. The device claimed in claim 1 in which said control means comprises asource of pneumatic power adapted to be connected to said frame, tubingmounted on one end of said frame for distributing said pneumatic powerto said pistoncylinder assembly, and a control element mounted on saidtubing intermediate said source and as sembly for regulating movement ofsaid piston in said assembly; said control element comprising an inletport having a one-way valve mounted therein, an exhaust port having aone-way valve mounted therein, an outlet port to said assembly,intermediate said inlet and exhaust ports, and a control lever pivotallymounted on said element and adapted to independently actuate said valvesdepending upon the point at which force is applied to said lever.

'7. In a device of the class described having a portable truck body, anexpansible and contractible container carried by said body, means forexpanding and contracting said container including reel means rotatablymounted on said body for winding thereonto and unwinding therefrom thematerial of said container, and means for operating said reel means;said operating means comprising elongated substantially parallel footoperated treadle bars operatively connected to the reel means andpivotally mounted on said body, said bars being disposed on oppositesides of said container.

8. In a device of the class described having an upright supporting frameprovided with a pair of parallel elongated reels rotatably mountedthereon and being disposed in spaced relation on said frame, anexpansible open top container having substantially vertically extendingsides windably mounted on said reels, and means mounted on said framefor efiecting rotation of said reels; said means comprising apiston-cylinder assembly mounted on said frame intermediate said reelsand having a portion of the reciprocating piston exposed and operativelyconnected to said reels to eifect rotation of the latter; anair-hydraulic pump mounted on said frame adjacent said assembly foreffecting reciprocation of said piston, and a control device adjacentthe open top of said container for actuating said pump.

9. The device claimed in claim 8, in which said air-hydraulic pumpcomprises a housing unit, a source of air pressure for said unit, asource of hydraulic fluid for said unit, a sleeve slidably mountedwithin said housing, a hollow piston adjustably held within said sleeve,both said sleeve and piston responsive to air pressure, and means forexpending hydraulic pressure from said unit upon response of said sleeveand piston to said air pressure; said piston when in its startingposition relative to said sleeve, adapted to cause certain ports andpassages in said housing, sleeve, and piston to register and therebycause said sleeve and piston to be responsive to air pressure, and whenin another relative position to said sleeve to cause certain ports andpassages in said housing, sleeve, and piston to register and allow thesleeve and piston to resume its original starting position.

10. In a device of the class describedhaving a movable supporting frameprovided with a pair of elongated reels rotatably mounted on oppositesides of said frame, a container having flexible side portions windablymounted on said reels, and means for actuating said reels, said meanscomprising a pressure-responsive element reciprocally mounted on saidframe, an operative connection between said element and said reelswhereby the reciprocatory movement of said element effects rotationalmovement of said reels in opposite directions with respect to oneanother, and a manually operable pressure-regulating unit mounted onsaid frame and operatively connected to said element.

11. In a device of the class described havin a movable supporting frameprovided with a pair of spaced rotatably mounted reels, an expansioleand contrac-tible container windably mounted on said reels, and meansfor actuating said reels and effecting expansion and contraction of aidcontainer; said means comprising an actuator mounted on said frameadjacent one end of said reels, a pressure-responsive reciprocatingelement mounted within said actuator and having a portion thereofexposed, an operative connection between the exposed portion of saidelement and the adjacent ends of said reels whereby the reciprocatorymovement of said element effects rotational movement of said reels, anda pressure control unit mounted on said frame and operatively connectedto said actuator for regulating the reoiprocation of said element.

12. In a device of the class described having an upright portable truckbody, a pair of spaced substantially parallel reels ro'tatably mountedon said body, an expansibl and contractible container suspended from anddisposed between said reels and having the sides of said containerwindably mounted on said reels, a rigid substantially flat verticallyadjustable bottom element positioned within said container and effectingsubstantially vertical disposition of the sides of said containermounted on said reels, and means operatively connected to said reels foreffecting rotation thereof; said means comprising a pneumaticallyoperated actuator mounted on said body adjacent one end of said reelsand bein operatively connected thereto, and manually operated valvemeans mounted on said body and communicatin with said actuator forcontrolling the operation of said actuator.

13. In a device of the class described having an upright frame, a pairof spaced substantially parallel elongated reels rotatably mounted onsaid frame, a continuous pliable web suspended from and disposed betweensaid reels and havin the opposite edges of said web windably mounted onsaid reels, a non-flexible bottom element subtended by said web anddisposed between said reels to form a container having a substantiallyhorizontal bottom and substantially vertical side portions, and meansfor rotating said reels to effect height-adjustmentof said bottomelement; said means comprising a pressure-responsive p ton-membermounted for reciprocatory movement on said frame adjacent one end ofsaid reels and being operativelyconnected to said reel ends whereby thereciprocatory movement of said piston member effects rotary movement ofsaid reels, and a manually operable pressure-transmitting controlmounted on said frame and operatively connected to said piston member toeffect reciprocatory movement thereof.

14. In a device of the class described having a frame, a pairofsubstantially parallel elongated reels rotatably mounted on said frameanddisposed in spaced relation with respect to one another, a pliablecontainer suspended from and disposed intermediate said reels and havingthe sides thereof windablwmounted On said reels, and means for effectingrotation of said reels; said means comprising afiuid-operated-reciproeating piston member mounted on said frame andoperatively connected to said reels for imparting rotational movementthereto upon reciprocation of said piston member, a source of fluidsupply, and a fluid pump communicating with said supply and pistonmember, said pump including means for controlling the rate of returnflow of said fluid from said piston member to said supply and therebylengthen the windable sides of said container.

15. In a device of the class described having an upright frame, a pairof spaced substantially parallel elongated reels rotatably mounted onsaid frame, a pliable container suspended from and disposed intermediatesaid reels and having substantially vertically extending side portionswindably mounted on said reels, and means mounted on said frame forrotatin said reels; said means comprising a fluid-operated reciprocatingpiston member for use with a source of fluid under pressure and mountedon said frame adjacent one end of said reels and operatively connectedto the latter whereby the reciprocatory movement of said piston membereffects rotatable movement of said reels, and a manually operablecontrol mounted on said frame and disposed intermediate andcommunicating with said piston member and fluid source for controllingthe rate of flow of fluid between said piston member and said supplyand. thereby vary the length of said vertically extending side portions.

16. In a device of the class described having a portable truck body, anexpansible and contrac-tible container carried by said body, means forexpanding and contracting said container including reel means forwinding thereonto and unwinding therefrom the material of said 0011-tainer, and means for operatin said reel means, said operating meanscomprising a pneumatically-operated actuator, and manuall operated valvemeans for controlling the flow of air to said actuator, saidmanually-operated valve means comprising a valve housing havin an inletport adapted to be connected to a source of pneumatic pressure, anoutlet port connected to the actuator, and an exhaust port, said inletand exhaust ports having check valves mounted therein, and a controllever rockably mounted on said housing for regulating said check valves.

17. In a device of the class described havin a supporting frame providedwith a pair of elongated reels disposed at either side of said frame, anexpansible container having the sides thereof 2 11 windably mounted onsaid reels, and means mounted on said frame for actuating said r saidmeans comprising a piston-cylinder assembly mounted on said frameintermediate said reels and having the piston thereof reciprocatory, anair-hydraulic pump mounted on said frame adjacent said assembly foractuating said piston, a control device for said pump, saidair-hydraulic pump comprising a housing unit, a source of air pressurefor said unit, a source of hydraulic fluid for said unit, a sleeveslidably mounted within said housing, hollow piston adjustably heldwithin said sleeve, both said sleeve and piston responsive to airpressure, and means for expending hydraulic pressure from said unit uponresponse of said sleeve and piston to said air pressure.

ROY M, SCHULTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

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